Senior Westbury High School student Mariela Rosario is currently gaining valuable experience through her internship at an accounting office in Hicksville. The internship became available to her this year through the Westbury High School Work-Based-Learning Program. With the help and expertise of BOCES coordinator Amy Belfiore and Westbury High School business teacher Renate Johnson, connections to local businesses, community members and board members are being made.
Salvatore Albanese, Westbury alumni, CPA, business owner and financial planner has visited Westbury High School as a guest speaker in Johnson’s financial literacy and entrepreneurship classes on numerous occasions. Albanese has given students insight into high school, scholarships, business ownership and career paths. He has offered an internship to any student interested in accounting.
As a junior, Rosario approached Albanese about internships. She nailed it as a senior. She has been with Albanese’s office for three months, working on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, supervised by Jessica Lapine, who also started as an intern with Albanese and is now a full time accountant in the office. During tax season Rosario also worked on Saturdays. She has learned how to organize tax papers, file and use the basics of Quick Books.
Rosario has said that she is so happy to be able to see first-hand the general workings of accountants. She is going to stay on with Albanese while she attends York College next year.
—Submitted by Renate Johnson
